Small Plate Sampler at HALO

I was seeing a friend off at the Edmonton International Airport this week, and we decided to enjoy some pre-flight drinks and dinner at HALO Bar and Bistro, which is located in the lobby of the Renaissance Hotel. I had a sampler platter, giving me a choice of three of the menu's small plates. The chicken pot stickers reminded me of a similar dish I get in another restaurant/bar I frequent - nothing really unique. The green onion chicken was two skewers of chicken breast deep fried in a crispy batter with green onion. The green onion flavour really did not come through - I expected more of a green onion cake sort of batter - and the flavour and texture was sort of a "fish and chips" kind of thing, making the aioli they were served upon go well with them. The star of the plate was the Alberta prime rib meatball slider, which was a dense, perfectly-cooked meatball in a fresh bun with slaw. I found that while the green onion chicken was hot, the other items had some temperature inconsistencies. Overall, for the price, I was not blown away by the food,e ven though I really liked the atmosphere of the place itself.

Veggie Dumplings at Pho Delight

Whether you call it Pho Delight or Friends and Neighbours (only a wall separates the two sides of what is basically the same restaurant at 10838 82 Avenue), you can order a variety of pho soups, western meals, and vegetarian dishes no matter where you sit. I tried the veggie dumplings as a snack. Five dumplings were filled with a tofu and vegetable mixture that tasted predominantly from spinach and peas. The texture was very pleasant and the outer shell tasted a bit like pan-fried pancake, although some were a bit overdone. Overall though this was a solid vegetarian take on an Asian favourite appetizer.